Brazil's World Cup steps up a gear with draw of 32 teams

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil – The draw ceremony for the World Cup is underway in Brazil, opening with a tribute to Nelson Mandela.

A film shown at the start of the ceremony showed Mandela at the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and other images from the life of the anti-apartheid campaigner who died Thursday at 95. A minute's silence was then held to honor Mandela.

Some 1,300 guests filled a cavernous tent erected for the 90-minute show being broadcast live to some 190 countries from the Brazilian Atlantic resort .

The draw will divide the 32 teams into eight groups — labeled A to H — of four teams each. The basic principle of pulling countries randomly has been used by the sport's governing body for decades and was first televised in 1966.